Where to Smoke in Singapore: Smoking Areas & Rules

You can smoke in approved smoking corners at food retail establishments, smoking rooms at offices, Changi Airport and entertainment outlets, and designated smoking areas (DSAs) such as the yellow boxes along Orchard Road. Smoking is also allowed in your own home, in private vehicles with windows fully wound up, and in most open public spaces outside the Orchard Road No-Smoking Zone. Use the SmokeCheck SG map to check any address and see the nearest official smoking area.

Legally, cigarettes may be smoked in NEA-designated smoking areas, approved smoking corners and smoking rooms, and open outdoor spaces that are not covered by the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Regulations — for example open spaces in residential estates and town centres, surface carparks, uncovered walkways, and the top deck of multi-storey carparks (all outside Orchard Road). Always check for on-site signage and 'no smoking' markings first.

A designated smoking area (DSA) is a clearly marked spot where smoking is allowed even though the surrounding area is smoke-free. The most well-known DSAs are the yellow boxes along the Orchard Road No-Smoking Zone. DSAs also exist within university compounds, JTC-managed parks, and certain MINDEF premises. NEA publishes official DSA locations as open data on data.gov.sg, which SmokeCheck SG plots on its map.

The yellow boxes are the designated smoking areas (DSAs) inside the Orchard Road No-Smoking Zone, which has covered the Orchard Road precinct since January 2019. On the entire stretch, smoking is only allowed inside these marked yellow boxes. Open SmokeCheck SG, search 'Orchard Road', and every official DSA in the precinct appears on the map with walking directions.

It depends where. Smoking is banned at bus stops and within five metres of them, covered linkways, pedestrian overhead bridges, covered or underground walkways, areas within five metres of building entrances and ventilation intakes, queue areas, and the entire Orchard Road No-Smoking Zone outside yellow boxes. Open, unsheltered streets outside these places are generally not prohibited, but many precincts have additional rules — check SmokeCheck SG and the signs around you before lighting up.

Smoking is banned in most indoor places and public service vehicles, at bus stops and bus shelters (plus five metres around them), covered linkways, playgrounds, parks and gardens under NParks, nature reserves, reservoirs and ABC Waters sites, recreational beaches, swimming pools (plus five metres around them), hospitals, schools (plus five metres around their compounds), community buildings, sports stadia, pedestrian bridges, covered walkways, washrooms, ferry terminals, designated queue areas, and within five metres of building entrances, windows and ventilation intakes — plus the Orchard Road No-Smoking Zone outside yellow boxes.

Yes, but only inside the designated smoking rooms and smoking lounges in the transit areas of each terminal. Smoking is not allowed elsewhere in the airport terminals. SmokeCheck SG shows airport-area rules and nearby smoking facilities where data is available.

Smoking in a prohibited place is an offence under the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act 1992. Composition fines typically range from S$200 up to S$1,000 per offence, and penalties can be higher for repeat offenders or court prosecution. Vaping offences under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act carry fines of up to S$2,000. Use SmokeCheck SG to check a spot before you light so you never have to find out the hard way.

No. The purchase, use and possession of e-cigarettes, vapes and vaporisers is illegal in Singapore, with fines of up to S$2,000 for use or possession. Smoking prohibition rules apply to tobacco smoking; vaping is banned outright.

Open SmokeCheck SG on your phone, allow location access or search your current address, and the map shows every nearby official designated smoking area, plus community-added smoking areas marked as unverified. Tap any area for walking directions.

Community smoking areas are spots added by fellow users — for example an approved smoking corner at a hawker centre or an open area locals commonly use. They are clearly marked as community-added and unverified until cross-checked against official sources. Always confirm with the physical sign before relying on one.

Yes. Official NEA designated smoking areas and Orchard Road yellow boxes are free to use. Indoor smoking rooms in hotels, lounges or entertainment outlets may be for customers only, and private venues can impose their own house rules.

Cigarette butts count as litter. Littering offences in Singapore can be fined from S$300 for a first composition, with court fines up to S$2,000 for a first conviction, plus Corrective Work Orders (CWO) for repeat offenders. Dispose of butts only in the ashtrays provided at smoking areas — keep Singapore clean.

Both. SmokeCheck SG is a smoking-rules checker: search any location and it shows whether the spot falls inside a no-smoking zone (red) and where the nearest designated smoking areas are (green), including community-added areas. It does not grant permission — physical signage and NEA instructions always prevail.